Andrew

no question is a stupid question. The best answer would be it depends on where you go, and when you go. I live in the northeast and most places around don't cost anything to use the trails. There are some places I've gone to in New Hampshire along the Appalachian Trail that the park service collects a couple dollars to leave your car in the parking lot if you're going to stay over night/multiple nights. The only other fees would be at designated tent sites along both parts of the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail. Last year the fee was I believe $5.00 a person. Again this was only at certain tent sites and depending on when you go, the caretakers might not be on duty in which it's free. So all in all the costs are extremely low if anything. As for finding places to hike, I've gone to my local library and just look up hiking and there are always tons of books on different areas around the country that have good hikes to start off on. Many of the books will have detailed information on the distance of the hike, how to get there, the difficulty of the hike, etc. So you can easily find good info. I would start off on just doing some short distance day hikes 2-5 miles if you haven't hiked before. That'll give you time to get used to your gear that you take along if any and whatnot. If you need more information let me know and I could probably help you out some more.

Brian

I am in the US so I cant help with where to go, but a few pointers if I might.

I have a list of items that I take with me always, and that list varies by the distance I plan to go.. But fior a simple 2-3 hour walk it would be a good idea to bring:

Extra socks incase your feet get wet.

1 litre of water minimum no matter the weather ( I go 1 litre for every 3 hours minimum)

a snack (I make my own trail mix bars if you'd like a recipe)

a cell phone!

a few band aids and some bug spray

a hankerchief (not just for nose blowing! Tons of uses!)

a map of the area

a hat

a camera (cant stress this enough)

a book to tell you what flowers and animals are what (neat idea I learned here)

Toss all this kit into a small back pack and let someone know WHERE your going and when you plan on returning.. If you get side tracked and are going to be longer CALL THEM.. When you make it back to your car CALL THEM.. But if your more then 30 minutes late they should be calling you and then alerting authorities if you dont answer..

This last part comes from my life directly when I hurt my knee on the trail and sat down to relax and blacked out from a low blood sugar (I am diabetic). My neighbor rang my phone for 10 minutes and then called the ranger who found me by knowing what trail I would be on.

It would probably be best to meet somepeople in your area that enjoy the hobby and could go with you on your first few times out.. For saftey and guidance.. I now trek alone usually and have gone as far as 25 miles a day for 4 days. I bring a magazine, my harmonica, and a few other things

I am in the UK. I am currently based in Newcastle upon Tyne. I m new to the UK and looking for some hiking groups to join. Any idea on it?